madhadron

Power: a reading list

February 8, 2017

The current sabotage of the United States by its worst orders drove me to look into political power more seriously than I ever had. It's not a topic most people know about, nor something that most of those who do know about it gladly share. The political science literature is nearly useless on the subject. I finally found sources that were actually helpful. Unfortunately, my mental state suffered from engaging so heavily with the topic. I was forced to retreat from it, but I hope that those with more mental fortitude can benefit from the research I did.

So: a reading list on the accrual and wielding of political power.

Gene Sharp, Waging Nonviolent Struggle or his three volume work The Politics of Nonviolent Action. There is a one volume abridgement without the all the examples and context called How Nonviolent Struggle Works.

Robert Caro, The Power Broker. A biography of Robert Moses which traces how power is accrued by manipulating bylaws and practices. Then move on to his multi-volume biography of Lyndon Johnson.

Bernays, Propaganda. This is the foundational text of modern marketing and advertising and deals squarely with how to control public opinion.